Burn
by Bertie Butt
Summary: Marlene dies at the hand of Death Eaters. Sirius' reaction... Oneshot. M for death


**A/N **Unfortunately none of J.K. Rowling's characters belong to me. Give me some feedback and review? Hope you enjoy! xx

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Sirius couldn't think. The world was a multicolored blur around him. Everyone who asked him what was wrong was just a nuisance, an obstacle standing between him and Marlene. Anyone who attempted to stop him was shoved violently out of his way. He wasn't even attempting to keep his rage and anxiety in check and his magic bristled and crackled around him aggressively, causing all of those he passed to flinch. He had been in the headquarters of the Order with James being assigned a new mission when he received the fire message. He had read it, the flames burned into the paper burning cheerily, as if mocking him.

_There was a Death Eater attack on the McKinnon household. No survivors. -AD_

His hands began to shake violently as the message disintegrated between his fingers, as fire messages did once they were read. As if electrocuted, he had torn off running without warning, sprinting as if his life depended on it towards the headquarter's entrance. He needed to get outside. He needed to get to Marlene.

That's where he found himself now, moving inhumanely fast through the seemingly endless corridors, adrenaline singing through his veins. Finally reaching the doors, he sent his magic ahead of him in a powerful burst, blasting the doors open. The wizards and witches that had been milling in the lobby screamed and jumped out of the way, clearing a path to the outside. To Marlene. Stopping to take down the protective wards that hid the headquarters from the outside and physically opening doors would waste time, precious time. It seemed as if he had been reduced to his basic human instincts. Technicalities meant nothing to him. He didn't give two shits that by breaking down the wards, he made the building vulnerable to attack, endangering all of those within it. Fuck everyone inside the building. Where had they been when the McKinnons were attacked? If anything bad happened to Marlene, they deserved to die.

Finally making it outside, he barely had time to take a breath before he was spinning, falling, lost in the feeling of apparition. The frantic shouting of James and those who had followed him out of the headquarters melted away behind him as he spun away, sucked into movement.

He landed with a sharp crack to what he assumed Hell looked like. There were flames everywhere, he could feel himself begin to sweat, his panic only grew with the flames as they burned away what had once been Marlene's home her entire life. It was utter chaos; medical wizards and members of the Order ran around frantically searching for survivors, Death Eaters, anyone. He stood there, a statue among movement, taking it in but not understanding. He had been here earlier that day, he had stood in the very spot he stood now, on what used to be the porch, with Marlene that very afternoon, laughing and holding her in his arms. Walking slowly, he made his way to the front yard, to where a crowd had gathered. He took in the faces; the soot covered, tear stained faces. A wave of nausea rolled over him and he keeled over and vomited into the bushes.

Wiping his mouth, Sirius staggered over to the crowd. They silently parted as he passed, giving him a clear path to the center of the group. There lay three wizards in the grass. Their eyes closed as if sleeping. Immediately his eyes went to their faces. There, Marlene's father. Next to him was her mother. And next to them…. Sirius let out a strangled moan. "_No_." He threw himself down next to Marlene, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. "No. You can't leave me." He felt like he was in a dream, no, a nightmare. "Marlene." He repeated her name over and over again, as if he could bring her back if he said it enough times. But she wasn't going to come back. Her body felt empty; her spirit no longer inhabited it. Gathering her slight form into his arms, he made a tortured, inhuman noise, pressing his face to her hair, breathing her in. She smelled like fire and dark magic. Rocking back and forth with her still cradled to his chest, his chest was racked with miserable, gut-wrenching sobs, each one he emitted tearing his heart apart a little more. He was unaware of the horror-filled faces of those around him, watching the tragic scene unfold before them.

What seemed like an eternity later, Sirius heard James murmur his name softly, as if speaking to a wild and potentially dangerous animal, and felt him place his hand gently on his shoulder. He heard the muttered words telling him that it was time to let her go. After a long pause, Sirius let out a choked sob and slowly complied. He gently put her down in the grass and looking at Marlene once more, he pressed his lips gently to her forehead and whispered his goodbyes softly into her ear. Her face looked eerily calm as he stood up and looked around him for the first time in hours. Many had stayed, holding vigil with him, and this brought a fresh wave of grief to him. Bowing his head in thanks, he turned to James. The two locked eyes and Sirius silently pleaded with him to let him go. The moment James nodded his head, Sirius was gone, a sharp crack the only sign he had ever been there.

_Excerpt from a Daily Prophet Article, 3 weeks later_

_"The heads of three Death Eaters who shall remain unnamed showed up at the doorstep of the Ministry of Magic this morning. All three were suspects in the murder of the McKinnons, a wizarding family rumored to be associated with The Order. An investigation has been launched to find the perpetrator of this killing. The Ministry asks that whoever is responsible for this or has information on who was responsible to step forward and admit responsibility."_


End file.
